Timing
by SqutternutBosh
Summary: Ryan really hadn't had the best of timing when it came to his baby. He hadn't been able to resist telling Esposito, mid-case, in a grimy boiler room. And now he had been shot as Jenny went into labour. So yeah, not the best timing. Esposito/Ryan bromance on the day Ryan's baby is born, but spoilers for 5x24 Watershed too.


A/N: First attempt at a Castle fic (first fic in ages really). Sharing a bit of love for Ryan and Esposito because there's not enough of it around, but the 5x24 cliffhanger could hardly go unmentioned so look out if you haven't seen it yet!

..*...

Ryan really hadn't had the best of timing when it came to his baby.

From what he had told Esposito, Ryan hadn't been there when Jenny had found out she was pregnant because he was off undercover with the Statten Island mob, and Fenton O'Connell didn't know who Jenny Ryan was.

They'd followed procedure after that though, not telling anyone about the pregnancy until they were safely past the three month mark.

Well, mostly. Ryan hadn't been able to resist telling Esposito a week early, mid-case, in the middle of a grimy boiler room. It had lifted Esposito's mind, sure, he'd been quite concerned about Beckett, but there probably could have been a more appropriate moment to share such big news.

Still, it was better than when he had sprung it on Beckett in the high point of her and Castle's post-turned-down proposal predicament. That had been a slip-up on Ryan's part though, comparing Jenny's morning sickness face to Castle's hangdog look of despair, forgetting that they didn't already know and that this maybe wasn't the best time to share happy news.

Not that they hadn't been happy for him. Or gotten over their awkwardness a few days later when they actually talked everything through. Beckett loved Castle, and wanted to marry him for that reason and that alone, and not because Castle needed to make some desperate over-the-top gesture to show her that he loved her, and she wouldn't take the job in DC because she had already given so much of her life to her work and now it was time to think about other things and-

Esposito couldn't remember the rest. But he does distinctly recall ceasing to listen to Lanie's play-by-play of the Castle-Beckett saga because he could see the NFL play-offs on the screen above the bar reflected in the mirror behind her. And really, he loved Beckett and Castle, he did, but he had enough of their drama at work. Sometimes a guy just wants to sit in a bar with his girlfriend, drink a few beers and talk about things that aren't related to their work involving excitable writers and dead bodies.

'Which hospital are we going to?'

Oh yeah, Ryan.

He hadn't had the best timing with his baby. And now he had been shot as Jenny went into labour.

To be more precise, had been shot _because_ Jenny had gone into labour, and had called the cheap burner phone Ryan had bought and been carrying around for two weeks, waiting for that one call that would let him know that his wife was about to bring his firstborn into the world.

The ringer- Ice, Ice Baby, seriously? – had echoed out loudly, startling the armed perp they'd had cornered at the back of a warehouse. Luckily for Ryan, the guy was all nervous and sweaty, fingers slick on the trigger and arm flailing with the recoil. He had only fired a gun once before, and that had been an accident, even if it had killed their most recent victim.

And now Esposito found himself in the back of an ambulance, trying to keep a panicking and bleeding Ryan calm. He didn't see too bothered about the fact that there was a bullet lodged in his right forearm, not right now at least, but he was quite stressed out about almost everything else.

'Javi, which hospital are we going to?' he asked again. The paramedic had propped him up on the bed and stemmed the bleeding. As long as Ryan remained conscious, they wanted to wait to get him to the hospital to remove the bullet, which hadn't hit anything major (although the muscle would take time to heal).

'Presbyterian,' Esposito answered. 'I know that's where Jenny's headed so-,'

'I love you, bro,' Ryan said, smiling sloppily.

Great. The pain meds were making him dopey. Esposito patted Ryan's knee clumsily.

'Can't miss the birth of your first kid, right?'

'Nope. Wouldn't miss it. Can't miss it.'

He suddenly bolted up, sitting straight, wincing as he jarred his arm.

'Javi, what if I miss it?'

'Bro, relax, labour takes hours. Like, hours and hours. You won't miss it.'

'Yeah… Yeah, you're right. But I've heard that sometimes it can all happen really quickly. Like, women go to the toilet, and they don't know they're pregnant, and then suddenly there's a baby and-,'

'That's not gonna happen. Have you seen the size of Jenny recently? She's huge, that kid ain't coming out of there fast.'

Ryan laughed. And then sighed. It was making Esposito feel hormonal just to watch him shift emotions so quickly.

'I should be there,' Ryan said, eyes fixated on a shelf of gauze.

'You're on your way. It won't be much longer.'

The ambulance swung around a corner. Esposito grabbed at the side of his seat to stop himself from falling out of it. Ryan hissed through his teeth as he knocked his arm.

'Alright?'

'I keep sort of forgetting there's a bullet in there.'

'Trust me, it's better that way.'

'I'm not sure I've ever lost this much blood before.'

'If you're looking peaky I can't tell through all your pale.'

'Shut up.'

'Don't hate it cos you ain't it.'

'What if I lose so much blood that I'm unconscious and then I'm too weak to hold my baby?'

'Firstly, no, you won't, it's barely a scratch-,'

'There's a bullet in there! An actual one, it's metal and it's in my arm!'

'Shut up acting like a kid, you're fine.'

'I'm a bit not fine,' Ryan mumbled.

'Whatever. Secondly, you know I'm O neg, man, universal donor. I'm like your own personal, devastatingly attractive blood bag. I'd be there.'

'You would?'

'Stupid question. Sucks for me though, you being all selfish and A pos and that. Steal all my good blood for yourself.'

'Don't hate it cos you ain't it,' Ryan retorted. Esposito grinned.

His phone buzzed with a text from Beckett. The suspect was in custody, and he was ordered to keep her up-to-date with all things regarding Ryan. He shot off a quick 'Yes, ma'am' reply and returned his focus to his partner.

'Hey, you decide on a name yet? I'm thinking Honeymilk is great for a girl.'

'You're a jackass, you know that?'

'Yeeep.'

Ryan kicked his foot out, just about grazing Esposito's knee. Esposito pushed it away.

'I'm a bit… worried.'

Uh-oh, he was starting again. Divert.

'What, that your kid's gonna inherit stupid from you?'

Ryan ignored that jibe. '_No_. But… Actually, nah, that actually does sound stupid.'

'What? What is it? I promise I won't laugh.'

'I… Did you know that Jenny's mom is a twin?'

Esposito shook his head, staying obediently quiet.

'Yeah, I've never met her, there was some sort of falling out a while back and they don't speak. Jenny only mentioned that they were twins when we went for our first ultrasound.'

'I've seen that picture though, bro. You showed me there was only one little squidgy thing in there.'

'What if there's another one though, like, hiding behind it? What if we didn't see?'

'That is stupid.'

'You said you wouldn't laugh.'

'I'm not laughing. I'm calling you stupid.'

'It could happen!'

'Nu-uh. You're having one kid. Just the one. This time, anyway.'

'Oh God.'

'Think about it. Two cute little twin girls. Honey _and_ Milk. It'd be adorable.'

'I really dislike you sometimes.'

The ambulance had come to a stop.

'You know what's a great name for a boy though?' Esposito continued.

'I don't think I want to hear it from you.'

'No, I swear, it's a good one.'

'What?'

'_Javier_.'

The doors opened and the paramedic stepped in to help Ryan out, but he was waved away.

'Not on a little Irish kid, Javi.'

…*…

For his sins, Esposito had found himself running loops around the hospital, from the room where Ryan was waiting to get his stitches to the room where Jenny was screaming and shouting at Kevin because how dare he get shot right before the birth of his child. Esposito had never seen Jenny that angry before; it was scary, but he had done his best to relay the message to his partner, who, one arm in a sling, had been struggling to fill in his insurance details left-handed. He had taken over for him, claiming he knew all of the important stuff and sent Ryan to confront the full force of his wife's temper on his own.

Somewhere between all of that excitement, he had fallen asleep on a hard-backed plastic chair, head lolling back against the wall, mouth open and snoring. He had only been awoken when a passer-by, seeing Ryan's bloodstains on what had been a clean shirt, had asked him if he was okay, and did he need help getting to the ER.

He had missed twelve texts from Castle and five calls from Beckett, and he had only just found his way to some disgusting, machine-made coffee when the pair of them came tearing around the corner into the maternity ward.

'Is something wrong?' Beckett demanded. 'Why didn't you answer my calls?'

'Nothing's wrong. Not that I've been told. I just fell asleep.'

'_Fell asleep?_' Castle repeated incredulously. 'Your best friend got shot, and is about to have a baby, and you fell asleep?'

'Uh, yeah?'

Castle suddenly looked very understanding as he nodded. 'I fell asleep when Meredith was in labour with Alexis. She was maa-aaaad.'

Beckett was giving him one of her best glares. Right there, eyes narrowed, lips pulled tight.

'What? It took thirty-two hours! Thirty-two _hours_.'

'I'm definitely glad mine only took four.'

It was Ryan, he had snuck up behind them in his usual manner. The huge smile on his face detracted from the dried blood on his sleeve and chest.

'Kevin!' Castle greeted. 'How's Jenny doing? And the baby? Boy or girl? How's the arm?'

'Ah, my arm's my arm, it'll fix itself,' he answered quickly. 'As for your other questions… Since you're here, want to come see?'

He didn't need to wait for an answer, simply led the way. He stopped outside a room a few doors down the corridor.

'Now, Castle,' he said seriously. 'He's only two hours old, so I don't want you scaring him.'

'He?' said Esposito and Beckett together.

'You had a boy?' Esposito added.

Ryan simply opened the door for them.

Jenny was sat up in the bed, held up by several pillows. Her hair was in disarray, and she looked exhausted, but Esposito could see she didn't care. She was too focused on the squirming bundle in her arms.

She glanced up.

'Hi guys,' she said.

Esposito stepped in, stood just behind Ryan, looking over the shorter man's shoulder at the bald and pink creature that held everyone's attention. He seemed tiny considering how big Jenny had been.

'I hate to sound cliché, but he looks just like you, Ryan,' Beckett said, voice hushed.

'That's what I said,' Jenny smiled.

Esposito looked more closely. He seemed cute and all, as far as babies go, but how could they compare that squashed up face to that of a grown man?

'What's he called then?' Castle asked. 'Come on, introduce us.'

'Well, Jenny's granddad was called Riordan,' Ryan said.

'But everyone called him Rory. And so this little guy is Rory Ryan,' Jenny finished.

'Rory Ryan,' Castle repeated, tasted it on his tongue. '_Rory Ryan_.'

'That's not all,' Ryan interrupted. 'It's Rory Xavier Ryan.'

He leant down over Jenny and awkwardly took his son from her, cradling him carefully in his left arm, using the sling as support rather than an obstacle. He turned back to Esposito.

'I was never gonna call my kid Javier, bro, I'm sorry, not on an Irish kid. But Xavier… Apparently they both come from the Spanish saint, so it's a bit Catholic and it'll keep my mom happy.'

'You named him after me?' Esposito said. He felt himself smiling before he'd even processed the idea.

'Yeah, but now you have to call your first kid Kevin and it's just not as cool… Would you like to hold him?'

Esposito had never in his life had any desire to hold a baby before that moment, but he took Rory from Ryan without even answering.

'Am I doing it right?' he asked.

'You're a natural,' Beckett told him. Rory snuffled his nose and flexed his miniature fingers.

Castle was still hung up on the name.

'Rory X. Ryan! It's brilliant. Like a Private Investigator! Or, you know what, that name would look awesome, awesome, on the front of a book. He can be a writer then, and I can teach him all the things I've learned, train him up and-,'

'_Castle_,' said Beckett sternly. She grabbed his arm. 'Congratulations you two. We'll leave you in peace for a while. Javi?'

'Yeah, coming.'

As he handed the baby back to Ryan, he looked between the new father and son.

'Actually, I sorta see it now, the resemblance. Yep, definitely a Honeymilk.'

If Ryan hadn't had one arm in a sling, and hadn't been holding his son in the other, Esposito definitely would have gotten a punch.


End file.
